What could casino resort mean for us? A look at Harrah's Cherokee

Sunday

Sep 8, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 8, 2013 at 6:46 AM

Michael Barrett

People who experienced the effects of a similar development 130 miles west say there’s little doubt it would change things for the better. Since opening in 1997, Harrah’s Cherokee hotel and casino has made its mark — on both the Cherokee community and many people’s bottom lines.

“I never thought I’d see anything like it on the reservation. It’s unreal,” said Ray Williamson, whose country cooking restaurant, Granny’s Kitchen, sits less than half a mile from the casino and hotel. “It’s benefitted quite a few people around here, especially tribal members.”

Harrah’s is the example most have pointed to in considering the implications of a casino and hotel being built here. The Catawba Indian Nation has reportedly expressed interest in launching the development along Interstate 85, south of Kings Mountain on this side of the state line.

The Catawbas are a federally recognized tribe based in Rock Hill, S.C., with about 2,800 members.

Top Republican legislators are opposing the project and urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to do the same Gov. Pat McCrory would need to sign an agreement to allow what’s considered “top tier” gaming, but the tribe could open a slot-like bingo operation without state approval.

An economic revolution

Harrah’s Cherokee sticks out like a sore thumb — albeit a shiny, majestic one — near the North Carolina-Tennessee line. Built in 1997, it’s owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.

The complex now boasts three hotel towers with more than 1,100 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the state. It has 120,000 square feet of gaming space, retail shops, restaurants, a 15,000-square-foot conference center and a 3,000-square-foot event center.

A spokeswoman for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians declined to comment on the casino resort’s effect on the region. But according to a UNC study, more than 3.6 million people visit the casino each year, and it added nearly $390 million to the local economy in 2010.

Amy Parker, executive director of the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce, has been in her position for a year, but is a native of the area.

“It changed the whole structure of our economy,” she said of the resort. “When the (statewide) real estate market crashed in 2007, Cherokee’s was the only economy in western North Carolina that didn’t falter.”

Williamson has operated Granny’s Kitchen since 1984. After 1997, he noticed there were more people coming to Cherokee, even when the traditional summer tourism season ended.

“Even during the spring and summer, it makes a difference,” he said. “But there are more people here on the weekends and stuff, even after November.”

Williamson’s wife is a tribal member and gets a check every six months that’s based on the profitability of the casino. And they have both reaped the rewards of catering jobs there.

In August, he catered an employee appreciation event for 2,500 people. In December, he’ll cater a Christmas party for 1,500 employees.

“If they wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have that,” he said.

Fighting to bring back families

Williamson said he’s observed that the casino’s presence has been a boon for restaurants and other hotels in the area, but it hasn’t been as directly beneficial for retail shops. He said he gets a good amount of business from people staying at the casino who decide to venture out once or twice for some local cooking.

“They eat there, then they come eat out here,” he said.

Parker, who managed a bank for 15 years before taking her current job, said Harrah’s Cherokee has without a doubt been positive for the community. But its arrival also changed the kind of business that came to Cherokee. Some didn’t make the adjustment.

“We always had new businesses opening in Cherokee, like hotels, restaurants and things,” she said. “But the mom-and-pop businesses, like the little craft shops, were probably the ones most affected. They were the ones that didn’t see success from it coming.”

Cherokee used to be a mountain tourist destination that catered to moms and dads and young kids, but that has changed. Studies have shown that 75 percent of today’s visitors don’t have children, Parker said.

“Cherokee used to be a family destination and it’s just not now,” she said. “It’s a resort type of atmosphere. We just don’t draw the same crowd we used to.”

Some of that may have stemmed from the business community not being forward-thinking enough, Parker said.

“Cherokee as a whole thought we’d still draw the families, regardless,” she said. “Now we see the need to do that with more advertising.

Cherokee leaders have talked for years about luring more families by spending up to $93 million on a massive family adventure and water park, but the idea is still being debated.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike .

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